


For A Little While

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Foxtrot [121]
Category: Dollhouse, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Crossover, M/M, not actually RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 03:26:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7297594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: "Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard +/ Rodney McKay, waking up to memories of an alternate life and not knowing which is the real one."</p>
            </blockquote>





	For A Little While

"It happened again last night," Rodney said quietly.  
  
Ronon, Teyla, Evan, and Joe were sitting together in Ronon's kitchen.   
  
"What happened?" Teyla asked.  
  
Rodney had shadows around his eyes. "John keeps forgetting who he is. He woke up in the middle of the night and thought he was CIA Agent. Kept asking about his wife and kids. Freaked out when he saw me in bed beside him. He cycled through three different imprints before I managed to calm him down."  
  
"The other day," Ronon said, "I saw him wandering the market pier. He looked so confused. I asked him if he was okay, and he didn't even answer me in English."  
  
"Translator." Joe's expression was grim.  
  
"What do you think is wrong?" Rodney asked.  
  
"It has to be the imprints," Joe said. "No one's really studied the effects of active architecture over time, and apart from Anthony, Priya, Echo, and Kilo, no one else really kept their imprints. Architecture is artificial. It...breaks down."  
  
Rodney's shoulders slumped. Ronon had always hated how much of the universe was beyond his strength, his ability to fight. He'd meant it all those years ago - he needed to learn science, so he could be useful in all situations. And he'd learned some things, but not nearly enough to even begin to be useful in this situation.  
  
"We could dial Earth and speak to Jennifer, could we not?" Teyla peered at Rodney.  
  
"Between her and Topher, no one knows more about actives," Evan said.  
  
Rodney nodded. "That's a great idea. And - we could look up more information about the Phoebus and Thelan incident. And maybe that mind-stamp incident SG-1 went through."   
  
Ronon recognized the fire in his eyes. When Rodney got that look in his eyes, he would find the answer. He would.  
  
"There are a couple of other options," Joe said. "Remember the time you got stuck in Cadman?"  
  
Rodney nodded.  
  
"Remember how Carson said one of you had to let go?"  
  
Fury blazed in Rodney's eyes. "I'm not about to -"  
  
"No, not make John let go," Joe said. "See if - some of the imprints will. Some of them might." He laughed softly, and it turned into a cough. "We're not as young as we used to be. Some of us are - tired."  
  
Alarm flared briefly in Evan's eyes, and he reached out, covered Joe's hand with his.  
  
Ronon had never appreciated how much younger he was than the rest of them, because he had always been side by side with them in their war against the Wraith, but all of the men were completely grey, Rodney had barely any hair, and none of them walked as tall as they had, even though they were still in much better shape than other men their age.  
  
"Or you could - clone John. Give bodies to the imprints that want them."  
  
Rodney shook his head. "I've offered before. They all said no."  
  
"This time, some of them may say yes," Teyla said.  
  
Joe took a deep breath. "There's another problem. John is just an imprint."  
  
Rodney opened his mouth to protest, but Joe held up a hand.  
  
"Hear me out. John's consciousness has been in control long-term in a body that wasn't originally his. All the other actives were restored to their primary personalities. Kilo and Echo are composite personalities. John's an imprint, at the technical level. It could be that - that my body is finally rejecting him as the active architecture breaks down."  
  
Rodney pressed his lips into a thin line.  
  
Ronon said, "Let's call Jennifer and that Topher guy."  
  
Evan nodded. “I’ll head over to Ops now, talk to Alexej.” He stood up and crossed Ronon’s quarters, initiated the door lock.  
  
And there was John, blinking drowsily. He smiled tentatively at Evan. “Did I fall asleep?”  
  
It was Joe who recovered fastest, said gently, “For a little while.”


End file.
